Method and means of renewing the shoulders of tool joints



NW10, 1942. W. A ABEGG f 21,301,495

METHOD AND MEANS OF RENEWING THE SHOULDERS OF A TOOL JOINT Filed April 8, 1939 r All 1 A #v1/wm? WALTER A. AGG

0)/ gw m @um ATTORNEY the box II l a male thread I3 of a pin I4. 4The pin I4 is Patented Nv. 1o, 1942 METHOD AND MEA SHOULDERS NS OF RENEWING THE OF TOOL JOINTS Walter A. Abegg, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor, by

direct and mesne assignments, to Abegg &

Reinhold Company, Ltd., a corporation of California Application April 8, 1939, Serial No. 266,821

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a tool joint and particularly pertains to a method and means of rcnewing the shoulders of a tool joint.

At the present time oil wells are drilled by the rotary method, which is concerned with a rotary driving table and a drill string extending therethrough at the lower en'd of which a drill bit is carried. The drill string and drill bit are constructed so that circulation of drilling iiuid may be brought about through the drill bit and the drill string. In order to insure free circulation of this iiuid through the string to the bit a type of drill string has been developed having a particular connecting joint or coupling between the sections of drill string. These joints are known as full hole tool joints. 'It is characteristic of this type of tool joint that the box and pin sections are formed with an outside upset wall. This produces an enlarged diameter in the portion forming the tool joint with a resulting shoulder at each4 end thereof. Abrasion takes place around the tool joint due to the ,circulation of iiuid upwardlywithin the bore of the well and along the drill string. It is desirable to renew those portions of the tool joint which most readily wear, and it is the principal object of the present invention to provide a method and means oi' renewing the worn portions of the tool joints and restoring the tool joint to its original diameter and configuration.

The present invention contemplates the prep aration of tool joints by cutting down portions o1' their outside surface until the abraded portions of the joint have been cut away and the joint is cylindrical, andV thereafter shrinking onto said prepared portions wear sleeves Vwhich may then be welded into position.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in longitudinal central section showing the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in transverse section through one of the tool joints showing the manner in which a wear sleeve is welded into position.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, I indicates a drill string section here shown as formed at its lower end with a box Il. This box II is constructed by an outside upset portion in the wall of the pipe at the lower end. Within is a female thread I2 which receives formed at the end of adrill string section I5 and projects beyond an upset wall portion I6. It will thus be seen that due to the externally upset wall the passageway through the drill string will the well bore abrasion takes v the tool joint and the be a full hole of uniform diameter through the string and the tool joint. When this type of drill string is lowered into a well and iiuid is circulated downwardly through the drill string and then upwardly around the drill string and within place on the outer surface of the upset portions II and I6. In this type of device the upset portions II and I6 abut against each other at I1. This forms a joint tending to provide a fluid seal between the removable parts. This joint also tends to wear away'.

The present invention the outer faces of the contemplates renewing upset portions II and I6 of abutting faces forming the joints I1. In order to provide a firm and permanent joint which will notl weaken the parts of the tool joint the outer circumference of the upset walls of the box and pin sections are turned down to form the cylindrical face I8. These faces are undercut, as indicated at I9. A cylindrical sleeve 20 is then prepared and placed over the turned face IB with a tapered end fitting into the undercut portion I9. The faces forming the joint at Il are also tapered, the outside diameter of the turned faces I8 and the inside diameters of the sleeves 20 bearing such relation to each other as to make it possible for the sleeves to be held in place by a shrink t. The sleeves are formed with holes 2| through them into which a metal iiux may be placed to form a weld 22 between the sleeves and the portion of the tool joints which they embrace. This insures that the sleeve will be Welded to the joint at various points so that regardless of the point at which the sleeve may wear the sleeve will be held and will not fall oif and be dropped into the well. Attention is directed to the fact that shrinking alone is not suihcient since wear eccentrically and would be thin at the point of wear. It is also true that welding alone would not be sufficient since it is difficult to obtain a bond between the parts in view of the fact that welding cannot lbe done at the ends of the sleeve where wear takes place,

It will thus be seen that while the present invention is simple in its construction and operation that means are provided for rapidly reconditioning tool joints in a manner to restore them to their original configuration and strength,4

whereby they may be used in ordinaryV operations the same as though they were new, thus making it possible for the tool joints to be used over a long period of time without having to be discarded and replaced by complete new joints.

the sleeve tends to invention and means While I have shown the preferred form of my of renewing tool joints, it will be understood that various changes may be made in the combination, rangement of parts and the steps of the method without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what l. claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A tool joint comprising a cylindrical body portion having an enlarged cylindrical shoulder at the end thereof, an undercut face on said shoulder facing the end of the tool joint, a sleeve said cylindrical portion with a shrink fit and having a tapered end face fitting into the undercut shoulder, the outer diameter of the sleeve agreeing with the outer diameter of the shoulder, holes being formed through the Vside wall of the sleeve whereby the sleeve may be welded to the wall of the cylindrical portion.

2. A tool joint comprising a cylindrical body portion having an enlarged cylindrical shoulder at the'end thereof, an undercut face on said shoulder facing the end of the tool joint, a sleeve appled over said cylindrical portion with a shrink fit and having a tapered end face fitting into the undercut shoulder, the outer diameter of the sleeve agreeing with the outer diameter of the shoulder, holes being formed through the side wall of the sleeve whereby the sleeve may be welded to the wall of the cylindrical portion, the outer end of the sleeve being tapered to agree with the taper of an abutting face, on a complementary joint section.

3. A tool joint comprising box and pin structures adapted to be threaded together, said box and pin structures each being formed with an annular undercut shoulder thereon facing the end of the tool joint, a pair of sleeves adapted to be applied over the shoulder portions of the two tool joint sections having tapered end faces fitted into the undercut shoulders of said sections, the outer diameter of the two sleeves agreeing with the outer diameter of the shoulders of the tool joint sections, holes being formed through the side wall of the sleeves and corresponding holes formed in the outer diameter of the tool joint sections whereby the sleeves may be welded to the walls of the cylindrical tool joint sections, the outer ends of the sleeves abutting one against the other when the complementary tool joint sections are in their assembled position.

4. A tool joint comprising box and pin structures adapted to be threaded together, said box and pin structures each being formed with an annular undercut shoulder thereon facing the end of the tool joint, a pair of sleeves adapted to be applied over the shoulder portions of the two tool joint sections-having tapered end faces litted into the undercutI shoulders of said sections, the outer diameter of the two sleeves agreeing with the outer diameter of the shoulders of the tool joint sections, holes being formed through the side wall of the sleeves and corresponding holes formed in the outer diameter of the tool joint sections whereby the sleeves may be welded to the walls of the cylindrical tool joint sections, the outer ends of the sleeves being tapered and complementary to each other whereby when the box and pin structure are in their assembled relation the tapered faces of the sleeves will be in an abutting position and will form a continuous surface conforming to the outer diameter of the cylindrical shoulders.

WALTER A. ABEGG. 

